Grace Abbott

Bust of Grace Abbott created in 1978 by James T. Olsen for the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

Grace Abbott (November 17, 1878 – June 19, 1939) was an American social worker who specifically worked in improving the rights of immigrants and advancing child welfare, especially the regulation of child labor. She served as director of the U.S. Children's Bureau from 1921 to 1934.

Abbott graduated from Grand Island College in 1898.

In 1924, she worked tirelessly to pass a constitutional amendment against child labor, an amendment that never gained statewide ratification. In addition, after leaving the Children's Bureau in 1934, she taught at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration until her death five years later.

Abbott is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame, inducted in 1976.

The School of Social Work at the University of Nebraska Omaha is named in her honor.